Sony Music Latin-Iberia’s ambitious virtual music festival #DesdeCasaConMusica featured more than 50 Latin artists from different pockets of Latin America serenading music fans on Sunday (May 10).
As fans listened and watched from the comfort of their homes, they also had the option of donating to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The festival’s goal was to unite music lovers at home while reinforcing and supporting messages of social distancing and prevention to help fight COVID-19.
Back-to-Back Performances
While the variety festival included workout sessions and pep talks from artists, music was the main event, lasting nearly eight hours and featuring major artists like Gerardo Ortiz, who sang “Más Caro Que Ayer.” “Thank you to all those who are connecting,” Ortiz said. “Thanks to all those behind-the-scenes who are making this possible.
Following Ortiz’s performance, Spanish group Dvicio was up for their at-home performance with all five members recording from their respective homes. “Music is one of the greatest saviors of this quarantine and these difficult times,” lead singer Andres said before singing “Dosis.”
The back-to-back performances included Luis Figueroa, Carlos Sadness, and pianist Arthur Hanlon dedicating a special version of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” to front-line workers. Meanwhile, Italian trio Il Volo performed “Il Mondo,” Colombian singer-songwriter Andres Cépeda sang “Te Voy a Amar,” Gente de Zona got everyone on the dance floor with “Momentos” and Fonseca sang an acoustic version of “Cartagena.”
Back to Basics
Monsieur Perine’s Santiago Prieto did a tutorial on how to play “Huracan” on the guitar so people from home could play along if they had a guitar in hand.
Music producer Rolo (Icon Music) taught a ProTools 101 class for the curious ones who are wondering how are songs are mixed and edited. Rolo’s crash course focused on mixing CNCO’s “De Cero.”
Carlos Sadness gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of his designs for the covers of his albums on the iPad. On the spot, he drew some new designs for this forthcoming album.
Even More Music…
Diego Torres, accompanied by Yadam, sang “Un Poquito” followed by Hanlon, who shared his homemade cookies with viewers and went on to perform “Como Suena el Piano,” the recently released remix with Orishas.
Then, Fito Paez performed “La Canción de las Bestias,” Pinto Wahin gave an energetic performance of “El Mosquito” and Lali Esposito sang “Como Así.” Gepe sang “Timidez” while Francisca Valenzuela performed “Tómame” and “Flotando” on the piano.
Leslie Grace’s Heartfelt Speech
“Hello mi gente. It definitely has not been easy for me to learn all the things I’m trying to learn in this quarantine. I’ll share with you what has given me hope when things get difficult. Everything I’ve learned has already been on my list of goals. They are all things I’ve always wanted to learn for a very long time and they’ve also helped me grow my confidence in a time that can be very depressing and can be a little crazy. It’s been encouraging to stay in a place and learn how to use what you’ve got to create a new skill. I’ve YouTubed everything to learn how to record from home.”
The Grand Finale
The almost seven-hour live stream, which aired on YouTube and Facebook, began to wrap up with the party-starting performances of Chocquibtown, who pumped up the at-home viewers with “Fresa,” Camilo presenting his new single “Favorito,” Gente De Zona coming back on the screen with their fiesta jam “Muchachacha,” Reik, Farruko & Camilo doing an acoustic version of “Si Me Dices Que Si,” Diego Torres sing his inspirational “Color Esperanza” and MYA closing the virtual music fest with a heartfelt version of “Te Vas.” In case you missed it, watch the entire video below.
Billboard assistant editor Jessica Roiz contributed to this article.
